Most people are programmed to handle stress fairly well. After all, a lesson we learn early on in life is that life is not always fair. So we go about our day, doing our best to cope and to stay focused on the bigger picture of life.
Alas, all of the normal coping rules and mechanisms fly out the window following a disaster. At times like this, there can be a massive physical impact to the landscape and to everything considered normal. Homes may be damaged, the workplace may be destroyed and common services such as water, power and sanitation may not be functional. Add to this the injury or loss of human life and we are talking about a huge emotional impact on those living through the moment.
There are times when I just noodle for awhile. What I mean by that is that a get a notion in my head and rather than do a knee jerk response, I send the notion in to the far reaches of my brain where it may or may not surface again. Such is the case with the National Geographic show, Doomsday Preppers.
Last year, when the show premiered, I was excited, thinking that in spite of the title, preppers and those who embrace the family preparedness lifestyle could finally find some mainstream acceptance. After all, many have thought of us as “nut jobs” and most certainly, many of my big city friends refer to “Gaye’s little survival thing”.
But after that first season, I was disillusioned with the entire premise of the show. The participants were indeed portrayed as extremists and for the most part, a bit off. It was not that what they were doing was so bizarre – well maybe some of it was a little off the wall – but that each family portrayed in the show appeared to be laser focused on some future apocalypse to the exclusion of living a joyful life in the present.
The months seem to be flying by. And as each month passes, I feel a sense of relief that that except for a short burst of extreme winter weather, my household has not had to dig into our emergency supplies for sustenance. On the other hand, some unexpected personal emergencies have come up and with them, a renewed focus on being prepared not only for the big events in life but also the smaller events that can turn your world upside down. More about that on the Sunday Potpourri.
What are we doing in month five of 12 Months of Prepping, One Month at a Time? In Getting Prepared Month 5 we are focusing on cleaning and personal sanitizing supplies and on taking steps to establish a neighborhood community of like-minded folks that are interesting in learning about preparedness.
This is going to be an easy month so let’s get started.
The cold days of winter are upon us here in the Pacific Northwest and whereas we have not seen any snow yet, the temperature is frigid, especially if your factor in the wind chill. Outdoor activities are limited to walks with the dog and not much else. Preparedness wise, this reminds us that we need to insure that we have adequate jackets, blankets and warm socks put away in our emergency storage container.
But wait. I am getting ahead of myself as I present Month 4 of 12 from 12 Months of Prepping, One Month at a Time.
Month 4 Supplies & Gear:
A minimum of a 7 day supply of critical prescription medicines
$100 (or more) in Small Bills
Pet Supplies
Infant Supplies
Extra Storage Containers
Something often overlooked when putting together emergency supplies is an adequate supply of critical prescription medications. The reason this is often overlooked (or shall I say a victim of procrastination) is that collecting extra meds in darn tough because most insurance policies only allow a thirty day supply to begin with.
I have a lot of ideas for getting around this – ideas that I use myself. Here are two.
Depression cooking is a skill that we all should learn. Come in to Clara’s kitchen to see how to eat well when food and money are scarce. You will become both motivated and charmed!
Sitting around the holiday dinner table, my guess is that at some point the conversation turned to the economy, natural disasters and the need to prepare. And, it is also my guess that there were a lot of roll-eyes as your companions thought “Oh boy, here we go again”.
Okay, perhaps I assume that you live and breath preparedness like I do but even if you don’t, I am certain that you have run in to people that are in what I like to call “Disaster Denial”. So what signs do these people display? (And no, I am not referring to the “I am blindingly stupid to reality” sign.)
Listed below are some common excuses for not preparing.
It is what it is. If my time is up, so be it.
The problem with this is that if there is a disaster of any type, there is a strong likelihood you will survive. And if you are going to survive, you might as well be safe with food, water, first aid and a way to defend yourself and your property.
Those of us in the Western world often take good health for granted. But there are times when we all get sick. If we are lucky, we are near a clinic or medical facility and if not, well, hopefully we will be prepared with sufficient first aid items to get us through.
There are times, though, when that is not enough. If there is no doctor around, your best bet is to practice some do-it-yourself doctoring. A couple of months ago the Hesperian Health Group issued newly updated versions of some of their books, including the following two must-have volumes.
Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook (October 2011)
This manual provides practical, easily understood information on how to diagnose, treat, and prevent common injuries and illnesses. Special attention is focused on nutrition, infection and disease prevention, and diagnostic techniques as primary ways to prevent and treat health problems.
Where There is No Dentist (September 2011)
This basic dental manual uses straightforward language and step-by-step instructions to discuss preventive care of teeth and gums, diagnosing and treating common dental problems, and includes a special chapter on oral health and HIV.
I mention these two, updated books today as a reminder that in addition to being available in a traditional book format, they are available as an eBook in PDF format absolutely free of charge from the Hesperian web site.
The holidays are upon us but alas, the task of successfully preparing our homes and families for an emergency is ongoing and does not end just because the calendar indicates a special day is coming up. Today, surrounded by the warmth and cheer of the December holiday season, I present Month 3 of 12 from 12 Months of Prepping, One Month at a Time.
Let’s start with the supplies and gear.
Month 3 Supplies & Gear:
Canned fruits – 3 cans per person
Any foods for special dietary needs (enough for 3 days)
A large plastic tub or bin for storage of food and other emergency supplies.
By now you should have a good supply of basic foods put away including protein items such as canned meats as well as veggies. This month we add fruits as well. Why? Well for one thing, fruits add additional nutrients, variety and interest to your meals. But perhaps equally important, fruits add a touch of sweetness to daily fare. You may not think this is important when you are in survival mode, the sweetness provided by canned fruits can kick start sluggish and depressed appetites and bring a smile to the face of weary family members, especially children.
In addition, fruits add fiber – yes even canned fruits. It is true that in many cases, it is the fruit’s skin that contains most of its fiber content. And, since many fruits are peeled before they are canned, the fiber content may not be as great as fresh fruit. On the other hand, using peaches as an example, two canned peach halves contain 1.4 grams of fiber versus 2.3 grams for a whole peach. Not a bad tradeoff considering fresh fruit will be hard to come by in an emergency.
A couple of months ago I presented a calendar for family preparedness. In 12 Months of Prepping, One Month at a Time, I laid out month by month tasks and was able to breakdown the overwhelming chore of preparing for an emergency in manageable and affordable chunks. Today, I explore Month #2 in greater detail.
But first, let me step back and remind you of one of the most easily justifiable reasons why you should prepared: unpredictable weather. Storms. tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and other wonky weather patterns can disrupt you, your home and your life in a heartbeat.
You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist, a political dissenter or even a dissatisfied and disillusioned citizen to know that the forces of mother nature will – at one time or another – require you to tuck in and rely on your own resources to get by. If you are lucky, you will only need to get by for a few days but alas, the aftermath of some weather systems may require you to fend for yourself for a week or longer.
And so, in this month by month preparedness series, review your existing preparations and make sure these basics are covered. And if you are just beginning to prep, breathe a sigh of relief. The tasks in any one month will not be too difficult nor too expensive and, at the end of twelve months, you and your family will be prepared.
Are you ready to get started with Month #2 preps?
So what is the big deal about freeze dried food for long term storage? I have been skirting around the edge of this issue since early summer, when I had my first taste of some prepackaged, freeze dried food from a #10 tin. Oh sure – it all sounded good. After all, it was roast beef and for a meatasaurus like me, how bad could it be?
While not to disparage one brand over another, the roast beef from Thrive was, well, the word that comes to mind is vile. I tried it plain and I tried it hidden in the rich broth of homemade soup. Your mileage may vary but it was bad. Really bad.
So back I went to the drawing board. I thought if I could learn about the science behind freeze dried food, I might be able to make better choices going forward.
How does freeze drying work?
Freeze-drying works by putting food into a state of “suspended animation”. Provided the food is of good quality to begin with, it gets freeze dried where it can stay, under proper storage conditions, for 20, 30 or even 40 years. When you get around to eating it, you add some warm to hot water and the food comes back to life, supposedly ready to eat with the same taste and texture it had to begin with. That is the theory, anyway.
Last month I laid out a calendar of prepping, 12 Months of Prepping, One Month at a Time. Today, I explore Month #1 in greater detail. But before getting started, I want to go back in time and have a chat about what I like to call the Survival Mindset.
The Survival Mindset is a frame of mind whereby daily life is focused on the pursuit of of independence and self-reliance. This focus is done in a non-obtrusive way to the determent of no one and the betterment of everyone. It is a lifestyle and a commitment to preparedness and to courage. To optimism and to family values. Ultimately, it is the will to live and to survive with the knowledge that you have done the very best you can to protect yourself and your family from danger and the woes that come from living in complicated and uncertain times.
What I have just described is the Backdoor Survival and SurvivalWoman mindset. And while I would like to think that it is the very best description out there, I am not arrogant enough (well, maybe just a little) to think that what works for me will work for everyone. But – and you know how I like to do this – whether you are an experienced prepper or a newbie that is just beginning to get your toes wet, you need to think about your own personal Survival Mindset and move to a survival place that meets your own needs.
Nuff’ said. I don’t want to lecture and surely, you are here to learn about Month #1.
Once the prepping bug hits, it is easy to want to go for it. You know what I mean: Let’s do it and let’s do it all Right Now! There…
And if so, what do we do about it?
For many of us, prepping has been our mission and our passion for one year, two years, or perhaps even longer. It started with storing some extra water. Next was food and first aid supplies. Ultimately we set up defense systems and evacuation routes to insure our safety in the event of a disaster, be it a natural, man-made or even a politically motivated apocalypse.
We have read the books, watched the DVDs, compiled resource manuals, and purchased gear. And still we are compelled to do more. So I ask, is being prepared an addiction, an obsession, or a chore? Can we call it quits if we had to? Do we know when enough is enough? Or are we hoarding? And what is the difference between prepping and hoarding?
These are tough questions which I will not even try to answer since the context of each may differ for different people. I will, however, offer up some definitions so that you can come up with your own answers and your own conclusions.
Addiction: the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming.
Obsession: a compulsive or persistent preoccupation, idea, or feeling.
Chore: a routine or minor duty or task.
Hoarding: a supply or accumulation that is hidden or carefully guarded for preservation or future use.
My answers? Habit forming. Check. Compulsive and persistent? Check. Routine task? Check. A hidden accumulation that is carefully guarded? A definite check. Oh boy – four for four.
You have probably asked yourself: Just how much food should I store for my family’s long term storage needs? There is no single best answer to that question since everyone’s personal situation is different. Still, it is nice to have a set of guidelines from which to start.
Today I would like to introduce you to The LDS Online Food Storage Calculator. Using this calculator, you can determine the amount of food your family will need to store away for a given period. All you need to do is enter the number of adults and children in your family. Press “Calculate” and like magic, the recommended amounts by category appear on the screen.
The amounts you will be presented with are for a year – buck heck, that is a lot of food to purchase if you are just starting out. My suggestion is that you take that amount and divide it 12 to get a monthly amount or by 52 to get a weekly amount. Why? I don’t know about you, but for most people, putting together a monthly supply of provisions is far more manageable than looking at the requirements for one year.
So how much food would 2 adults need for 30 days?
Three weeks ago if someone mentioned a CME was on its way I would have looked at them with a raised brow and a questioning look, not even pretending to understand. For the uninformed – as I was until a week ago – CME stands for Coronal Mass Ejection. In simplistic terms, this refers to large plasma ball full of charged geomagnetic particles that is emitted by the sun.
So why should we care?
Well for one, by the time you read this or shortly thereafter, a large strike will hit earth with the potential to disrupt our daily lives in an unpredictable manner. You see, from what I have discovered, scientists are now anticipating if not predicting a high-consequence, low-frequency event. Or, what, in layman’s terms, we call a 100 year storm.
NASA astronomers report that the sun is entering the most violent period of its normal 11-year cycle. This interval of high activity, called the solar maximum, is expected to peak in 2013. Will 2013 be the 100 year event? Who knows. What we do know is that in the meantime, we are starting to experience the precursor to the big event now and that scientists expect this latest solar burst to trigger one of the most violent geomagnetic storms ever recorded.
One the major components on any serious prepping effort is having adequate facilities for cooking outdoors. In my case, I have a fancy stainless steel gas grill but that was not going to do much good if there was no propane or the fuel line that delivers our propane was destroyed. I also have a cook-ready fire pit that utilizes wood but that is large an bulky (even though it looks very cool in my back yard).
The practical answer was something portable that could burn charcoal briquettes or, in a pinch, kindling, twigs or other pieces of wood found out and around the wilderness. After doing some research, I set my sights on the Volcano II Collapsible Stove and purchase once directly from Emergency Essentials. It arrived in three days even though I ordered the standard shipping. I was impressed. But alas, with other obligations, I did have have a chance to use it until this week.
Here is the scoop.
The Volcano II is collapsible. And when I say collapsible, I mean it. It measures about 5” high and 13” across in its collapsed state. The whole thing fits nicely in an included pouch that appears to be very sturdy and although this is a heavy sucker, it is completely transportable.
The complete kit includes:
The Grill
Two grates: and upper grate for grilling and a lower grate for charcoal
Heat Deflector Plate
User manual
Carrying case
There is also an option as well as a kit that includes a propane attachment but since my intent was to use this as a survival grill, I did not bother with the extra expense.